We’ve had to wait more than two years for the arrival of new 311 kW 5,0-litre V8-powered Lexus IS-F and now it’s here… Priced to sell, specced to the max, the newcomer slots in squarely between the ever-feuding BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
An IS-F test unit has just arrived at CAR magazine’s offices for a road test and I really can’t wait for my turn to drive it… Since the dawn of mankind, we have been perplexed by many mysteries… What is the meaning of life? Are we alone in the universe? Why do the interiors of Chinese-built cars smell funny? And, obviously, which is the best performance compact executive saloon – C63, M3 or Audi RS4?
This new Lexus has instantaneously made the latter question even harder to answer. Whereas the M3 produces 309 kW and 400 N.m, and the C63 336 kW and 600 N.m, the IS-F utlises its all-aluminum, 32-valve, powerplant, equipped direct injection, intelligent electronic throttle control (ETCS-i) and Variable Valve Timing intelligence and electronically controlled intake cam (VVT-iE) to produce 311 kW at 6 600 r/min and 505 N.m of torque at 5 200 r/min… that’s pretty much right in the heart of the battle, or the eye of the storm. Of course, should Audi produce another RS4, and I have little doubt Ingolstadt will follow up S4 with something out-of-this-world, the battle will change.
But in the meantime, the IS-F provides a perfectly-timed marketing fillip for Lexus’ perennially-underrated IS range. It fits the bill as far as a super saloon is concerned… it has an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift transmission aided by steering-wheel mounted paddles, a Torsen limited slip differential, and a track-bred Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system with Normal, Sport or Snow driving modes. In Sport mode, VDIM allows high dynamic thresholds before intervening and alters steering assist to increase steering feel… and I, for one, can’t wait to press that particular dashboard button and put foot!
Each of the IS-F’s aforementioned rivals has achieved cult status by virtue of legends and myths that have been assimilated into the public consciousness. The M3 nameplate is synonymous with Johnny Cecotto powering his E30 touring car to victory at Kyalami in the early ‘Nineties, the C63 conjures up visions of white-jacketed Affalterbach engineers that assemble automotive fission reactors by hand, but what about the Lexus? Well, apparently the IS-F owes its existence to the enthusiasm of Yukihiko Yaguchi, a performance-obsessed Lexus engineer that gradually developed the IS-F on a shoestring budget with the assistance of 200 or 300 passionate colleagues. Furthermore, much of the IS-F‘s development took place at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Circuit Paul Ricard in France, Japan’s Fuji Speedway and the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Japan.
And even if the legend of the IS-F isn’t really that prevalent yet, the newcomer stands out from the crowd, let alone its rather understated standard IS brothers, with ballsy style. The front bumper has massive air inlet apertures, smatterings of chunky wire mesh, a raised bonnet, and widened front fenders to accommodate the 19-inch Bridgestones. The car’s wedge-like profile is accentuated by functional front fender air outlets with low edges and at the back, four vertically stacked exhaust diffusers, two per side, are integrated into the rear bumper. Those exhaust tips, although ornamental, are certainly unique… and undoubtedly add to the IS-F’s muscle-bound kerb appeal.
On the inside, there are 10-way electrically adjustable sports seats with extra side bolstering to keep you in place during hard cornering, carbonfibre pattern trim on the door switch plates and center console, aluminum-faced foot pedals, blue stitching and “F” logos on the lower steering wheel, rear pull-down center console and outer seats cushions. Standard issue equipment includes a Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound audio system with 14-speakers, a hard-drive based navigation system with a 7-inch touch screen, parking sensors with rear camera, SmartAccess keyless, three-position memory for front seats, steering wheel and mirrors, cruise-control, automatic and self-levelling HID headlamps, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automated rain-sensing wipers and heated auto-dimming outside mirrors with integrated puddle lamps.
Yes, although the IS-F is not cheap at R776 900 (including 4 year/100 000 km maintenance plan), it does come comprehensively equipped. It may not share the pedigree of its German rivals, but signals an edgier, and overtly sporty, evolution of TMC’s premium, but traditionally straight-laced and buttoned-up, brand. A lot of buyers might be interested in the IS-F just by virtue of its difference to the usual fare from the boys in Munich, Affalterbach and Ingolstadt. We wish the IS-F well… Long may this model, and its successors, vie for supremacy in “performance compact executive” melee.
